Framing crystal

RoboFramer

RoboFramer

PFG, Picture Framing God
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OK Grumblers a "what would you do" question.

Today a customer brought in a piece of crystal (according to a sticker on it) with a baby's hand and footprint in it. About 4 x 5" - uneven, not very heavy.

I'm mounting it onto the centre of a suedette board, deep rebated frame, lined with the same board.

What would you fix it with? It's frosted in parts, clear in others, but the points that make contact with the board are pretty clear.

Silicone?

Or is there something that dries clearer - customer doesn't want 'mighty mounts'or any sort of visible holder.

I thought it was a bit cruel sticking a baby's hand and foot into molten glass, but there you go.
(Joking - of course)
 
This sounds like a good time to get out the Mylar-D.

Without actually seeing it, it is hard to imaging the exact shape and characteristic of the piece, but it sounds like you might be able to cover the whole thing with a sheet of mylar and have a few strips to wrap around the sides and pass through strategically placed slits in your matboard, securing well to the back of the matboard. It might be challenging to slits to be completely hidden, but I'm sure your creative juices will start flowing once you begin the process....
 
First cut a reverse bevel mat that the piece barely fits in. Mount this mat to an other that's opening is slightly larger.

Paint the seconds bevel black. This is a sink mount.

Use the Mylar strips that go into slits cut hiding behind the reverse bevel.

Once it's all done, pour 4 oz of Bushmills into a clean glass....take your time with this because it is the most critical part...

from here, you're on you're own.
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I think I'll get a photo, tomorrow.

The block of crystal is irregularly shaped and the prints are in relief (is that the right word, they stick out?) from it at the back.

Any sink mount would have to be cut by hand - the reverse bevel would be quite forgiving but I'd need more than one glass of bushmills for the top one! That's for the shape of the block of glass.

I don't even wanna think about cutting a sink mount around the hand/foot shapes!
 
Only thing I can think of is the silicone used for gluing glass fish tanks together. A thin coat should be just about invisible. I would try it with some scrap glass and mountboard before committing.
 
Let me grab me Bushies and I'll walk ya through it.

Ned and Kate it is.

Hand prints sticking out the backside????
You sure you don't have it flipped?

Maybe the wee one is still trapped in the glass node and is trying to get out the back way... :D
 
I think what John is talking about, is a souvenir from somewhere in England.
The lable on the back normally say's, Made In China.
 
After you post the pic tomorrow and we see the shape, this may be a mute point, but I am going to throw this idea out there, anyway...

A few months ago, I was faced with the challenge of framing a rock. Well, a chunk of the Berlin Wall, with both sides needing to be visible.

It was a flat chunk, around an inch thick, but very irregular in shape. Sort of oval, if you squinted.

I took two measurements of the widest points of each side, say 3 1/2" x 4", and started cutting out beveled openings from foamcore- black, so it would disappear. I cut the two mats, and "sandwiched" the foamcore, with the bevels forming a V, and cradling the rock, when it was inserted between the sets of beveled fc "mats". The V held the rock snug ( I tested it well- like an unsuspecting person that would shake or rotate if they were inspecting closely, etc. ) The rock didn't even budge, and I was delighted, b/c there was no adhesive, no mylar, no weight worries, etc.

I assembled like you do any other two sided frame, and the customer put it on an easel on his desk.

I hope this makes sense- if the hand image does protrude, you could add spacers between the matting and the glass to accomodate.

Regardless, post a pic of what you start with, and your solution!
 
GG, had to read that about four times [middle of the night...foot woke me up] but once I got it, I think that's brilliant.

Is it viewable from both sides?
 
Yes, it is viewable on both sides.

I forgot to mention that I cut the mat openings slightly smaller than the foamcore openings so the fc was pretty much invisible.

That's probably obvious, though.
 
Yes, it is viewable on both sides.

I forgot to mention that I cut the mat openings (single mat - one for each side) slightly smaller than the foamcore openings so the fc was pretty much invisible.

That's probably obvious, though. ;)
 
Ok then the offending object from front and side.

The blob on the heel is silicone, so - so much for that idea.

Now I'm thinking a rectangular, lined sink mat with an 'engineering' fit - maybe overlapped very slightly with a fillet and maybe with a sheet of denglas under that fillet, tight against and touching the crystal. The frame glass would be over the lot, spaced from the denglas by the fillet.

So, Glass - mat with slip, denglas, crystal tight in sink mat but sink mat rectangular, not following object's contours.

This is more work than customer is paying for but happy to do it for the learning experience - future ref.

Mylar D is not easy to find here, but willing to go and source it - no rush for customer.

The mat that I have shot this on is the actual colour chosen, a burgundy suedette.

Sorry about the big pics, dunno how to do them smaller.


cystal001.jpg

cystal004.jpg
 
GG That makes perfect sense - did something similar with a wheel nut from the Bentley that won the Le Mans 24 hr race a coupla years ago. Round and conical one side, hexagonal on t'other.

But circular apertures each side.
 
Just got back from work, not sure what I was thinking of with the denglas bit - the slip or bevelled sink mat - if I go that way, would hold it.
 
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